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| Hubble Captures Stunning Image of Mysterious Galaxy Arp 184 with Strange Spiral Arm. |
NASA has just shared an incredible new image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and space lovers are in for a treat. This time, the spotlight is on a bizarre and fascinating galaxy called Arp 184, also known as NGC 1961. What makes it stand out? Well, its shape is so distorted that astronomers can’t even decide if it’s a spiral or an elliptical galaxy!
The image itself is a combination of three different observation programs under Hubble’s Snapshot initiative. This program allows Hubble to capture quick snapshots of cosmic objects during short breaks between larger missions—making great use of every available moment in space.
Located about 190 million light-years away from Earth in the Camelopardalis constellation (that’s the Giraffe constellation!), Arp 184 has a strange structure. Instead of having the usual symmetrical spiral arms like many other galaxies, it has just one giant spiral arm filled with stars, which appears to be stretching in our direction. On the opposite side, there are scattered clumps of gas and star clusters.
This oddball galaxy earned its place in the famous “Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies”, a special catalog created by astronomer Halton Arp back in 1966. The atlas features unusual galaxies that help scientists study how these cosmic structures evolve and interact over time.
One of the reasons Arp 184 is especially interesting to astronomers is because four supernova explosions have been detected there in the past 30 years. That’s quite a lot! These powerful stellar explosions show that the galaxy is full of massive, short-lived stars—meaning it’s still very much alive and active in cosmic terms.
For astronomy fans and curious minds alike, galaxies like Arp 184 are a real treasure. They give us clues about how galaxies twist, collide, and change shape—and how stars are born and eventually die. It’s these kinds of discoveries that bring us one step closer to understanding the amazing, mysterious universe we live in.
If you're into galaxies, space photography, or cosmic phenomena, Arp 184 is definitely worth checking out. Who knew a lopsided galaxy could tell us so much about the life and death of stars?
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